SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE

"I can show you, I can show you, some of the people in my life."

So thunders Phil Collins as he sings one of my all-time favorite Genesis tunes, Turn It On Again. I always liked that particular lyric for some reason. Maybe because the people in your life have an outsized effect on what your life is like.

Sadly, there are some nasty folks out there. Inconsiderate. Uninformed. Plain old rude. It’s easy, at times, to believe there are more of these types of individuals than the good hearted Staten Islanders. But that is not the case and I know it. I probably just have a natural tendency to focus more on the bad ones.

"The people in my life form an interestingand diverse universe."

But here’s the flip side. Looking back on nearly a quarter century of life in public service on Staten Island, it genuinely amazes me how many truly good people I have been privileged to meet and befriend. Soon I am going to start highlighting some of them. They may or may not be known to you, probably won’t have a fancy title, nor will they consider themselves any sort of local celebrity. They are though, without any doubt, great people. They are true Staten Islanders and accurately reflect what each of us in this community should strive to be.

I can show you, I can show you, some of the people in my life. And I’m going to do just that.